I'm told that Origins Age involves time magic, where the new protagonist goes back in time to kill the Warden before s/he becomes a Warden, because a chain of events were set in motion in the future where the Hero of Ferelden brings doom upon the entire world.
I think this is first bioware game that has sold poorly not even in top 10 of month it launched in...
So ether all games sales were digital or dragon age could be done.
The top 10 best-selling games for the month are:
1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC)
2. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
3. Super Smash Bros. (Wii U, 3DS)
4. Madden NFL 15 (360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
5. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (3DS)
6. Far Cry 4 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
7. Pokemon Omega Ruby (3DS)
8. NBA 2K15 (PS4, 360, Xbox One, PS3, PC)
9. Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)
You're kidding, right? This game is going to sell more than enough for a sequel. They're probably already working on ideas for the next game if they haven't started already.
You're kidding, right? This game is going to sell more than enough for a sequel. They're probably already working on ideas for the next game if they haven't started already.
Even if it didn't, it only makes sense for a business standpoint to make a sequel, they've already invested in the engine, "game mechanics" and such so a sequel within 18 months: pretty damn likely. It wouldn't have half the development cost of DA:I and perhaps 80% of the sales of DA:I.
It's a "sure thing" and marketing and executive live and breath for a "sure thing".
Even if it didn't, it only makes sense for a business standpoint to make a sequel, they've already invested in the engine, "game mechanics" and such so a sequel within 18 months: pretty damn likely. It wouldn't have half the development cost of DA:I and perhaps 80% of the sales of DA:I.
It's a "sure thing" and marketing and executive live and breath for a "sure thing".
18 months won't happen - it would be too close to Mass Effect 4's launch window. I'm guessing we see the next DA game in either 2017 (if that third project of theirs that I don't remember the name of gets killed for good) or 2018 (if that product releases). We'd have ME in '16, new ip in '17, and DA in '18. What you then have is a cycle where they release a new game for a different franchise every calendar year, in a space the only real competition (Witcher, Elder Scrolls, Halo) only releases once every 3 years. I'd bet the majority of BioWare also play Witcher and TES, so really all they have to do is not launch within four months of those franchises and they'll be fine.
Off topic, but I'm going to take a wait and see on the new IP. I didn't buy DAO or ME1 at launch, and while I have bought subsequent installments of those franchises and will continue to do so at launch because I enjoy them, my time is extremely limited for games. I'll have to have access to a playable demo of a new ip first.
18 months won't happen - it would be too close to Mass Effect 4's launch window. I'm guessing we see the next DA game in either 2017 (if that third project of theirs that I don't remember the name of gets killed for good) or 2018 (if that product releases). We'd have ME in '16, new ip in '17, and DA in '18. What you then have is a cycle where they release a new game for a different franchise every calendar year.
Off topic, but I'm going to take a wait and see on the new IP. I didn't buy DAO or ME1 at launch, and while I have bought subsequent installments of those franchises and will continue to do so at launch because I enjoy them, my time is extremely limited for games. I'll have to have access to a playable demo of a new ip first.
18 months is just what they did for DA2. There was about half a year between ME2 and DA2.
Also, new IP=risky, no a sure thing ====> bad
18 months is just what they did for DA2. There was about half a year between ME2 and DA2.
Also, new IP=risky, no a sure thing ====> bad
Even if it didn't, it only makes sense for a business standpoint to make a sequel, they've already invested in the engine, "game mechanics" and such so a sequel within 18 months: pretty damn likely. It wouldn't have half the development cost of DA:I and perhaps 80% of the sales of DA:I.
It's a "sure thing" and marketing and executive live and breath for a "sure thing".
Yeah, they have enough assets in Inquisition to reuse for five DA2s.
As an aside, I've wondered were they unable to reuse stuff from DA:O or DA:A because of the Eclipse to Lycium upgrade for DA2 or did they not want to?
Guest_Lathrim_*
Yeah, they have enough assets in Inquisition to reuse for five DA2s.
As an aside, I've wondered were they unable to reuse stuff from DA:O or DA:A because of the Eclipse to Lycium upgrade for DA2 or did they not want to?
My guess is both. Dragon Age 2 went on a very different path, aesthetically speaking.
Therefore; we may very well be facing a situation where a lot is at stake for a small gain. It is just as probable as the other possibility. So why rule it out...
Well, to me, I just don't think it's that dire. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm right. Maybe we're both entirely wrong, somehow? Who's to say?
18 months is just what they did for DA2. There was about half a year between ME2 and DA2.
Also, new IP=risky, no a sure thing ====> bad
DA2 and ME2 were both attempts to solidify new IPs in the market, and at the time weren't direct competition for each other. He!l, ME2 couldn't even be bought on PS3 for six or eight months, and when it launched for that console, it was unannounced.
In some ways, ME1 being exclusive for X360 and PC, combined with the fragmented launch of ME2 really hurt it's sales.
DA2 was rushed out because DAO lost money in its first few months. DAO was unusual in that it was a very slow burn on sales.
DA and ME may still not be direct competition with each other, but releasing too close together in what is considered a niche market (RPG) will hurt. I'm guessing we won't see ME4 until May or June next summer because of Battlefront this coming winter.
There will be sequels for the current consoles at a guess. If it goes past these consoles to the next consoles though remains to be seen.
Aha, and on what do you base your educated guess?
Anyway, look here. Average playtime according to HowLongToBeat is is 84 hours.
113 * 10 ^ 6 h / 84 h = 1.5 * 10 ^ 6
"Oh noes, EA only sold 1.5 million copies of teh game. Teh world come crashing downs arounds me, bestest RPGs eva no sell good."
Sarcasm aside, I personally think 84 hours is too high for a game with 150+ hours of filler content, my personal educated guess is that the average playtime is somewhere between 40 to 60 hours, but you wanted some evidence and there you have it. Evidence.
Just out of curiosity, this site has the average amount of playtime for DAI, yes? And this is based off a sample size of what? 1000 people if we take the right hand side of the middle graph? 1000 people from the 1 million plus people who bought the game (since we don't know the number, I went off an estimate it for sure hit).
A 0.001% (probably even less) of the people who bought the game is not a representative sample size of all the people who bought the game. Even the ME3 ending polls had more data than this. Also to take into account: what about the casual fanbase, which makes up the majority of people who buy any game? Tell me, who would be more likely to go on the Internet and post their statistics about gameplay time. Would it be the hardcore/invested fans, or would it be the majority (the casuals) who are most likely to either:
1) Buy the game and never play it (we know Steam has done this very well with their sales, at about 37 % the rate at which people never play games. Consoles probably have a smaller percentage, but it's still something not to discount, even if it's 10%
2) Buy the game, play it for a few hours, and then give up/move on to other things
3) Buy the game, play it a little, but focus more on multi-player (you know, for the social experience that they get in games like Call of Duty and sports titles)
I think we might all underestimate just how big of a proportion casual gamers are (graph obtained from Gamasutra here. It's an interesting read 
: http://www.gamasutra...al_.php?print=1
As we can see, ultra-casual and casual gamers (i.e: the ones who might buy a game and never play it/very little) make up a massive amount compared to those who are actually invested and who are willing to go on forums, post their playtimes, discuss the game, etc.
If we take your example for the hours played from that site, we can conclude that the people who are posting their times are at least somewhat interested in sharing their experiences, since they spent a good amount of time playing. If we take the 40-60 hour estimate you gathered from the website's data, and we say that about 50% are hardcore fans (reasonable, IMO, for comparison's sake), then here comes some math 
50 hour average play time based on site and your estimate.
50/50 split for site date in terms of casual/hardcore, but the casual gamer's data have much more weight than the hardcore gamer's data, which is what I will attempt to calculate now.
In that case, that 50 hour estimate has to be counterbalanced by the fact that hardcore gamers (the ones who tend to post those kind of stats) make up about 20% of the gamer population (we know that hardcore gamers represent a small fraction of all the gamers out there, so this makes sense IMO, especially if you try to visualize it on the graph)
So, if we split it right up the middle and say that a hardcore gamer has an average 80 hour playthrough, and the average of all casual players is about 20 hours (don't forget those who don't even boot up the game bring down this average)
(80 * 0.2) + (20 * 0.8) = 32 hours
So, an average playthrough including data from the massive casual population vs. the small sample size website you chose , and we get 32 hours, so:
113 000 000 / 32 = 3.5 million copies sold in about 2 and 1/2 months
I don't see any failure there. It took Dragon Age Origins 3 months to hit 3.2 million copies sold, and it took Dragon Age Inquisition 2 and 1/2 months to reach 3.5, not to mention it had to deal with bad publicity from DA2. So for Bioware and EA, I'd say mission accomplished. I can't wait to build myself a new PC and play this game in the summer
Surely....this can be put to rest now?
It's the most successful launch ($ wise) in BioWare's history... if that doesn't lock in a sequel and mucho DLC, nothing will.
Sometimes it feels like y'all are all Pitne For.... just moaning for moaning's sake.
Just out of curiosity, this site has the average amount of playtime for DAI, yes? And this is based off a sample size of what? 1000 people if we take the right hand side of the middle graph? 1000 people from the 1 million plus people who bought the game (since we don't know the number, I went off an estimate it for sure hit).
A 0.001% (probably even less) of the people who bought the game is not a representative sample size of all the people who bought the game. Even the ME3 ending polls had more data than this. Also to take into account: what about the casual fanbase, which makes up the majority of people who buy any game? Tell me, who would be more likely to go on the Internet and post their statistics about gameplay time. Would it be the hardcore/invested fans, or would it be the majority (the casuals) who are most likely to either:
1) Buy the game and never play it (we know Steam has done this very well with their sales, at about 37 % the rate at which people never play games. Consoles probably have a smaller percentage, but it's still something not to discount, even if it's 10%
2) Buy the game, play it for a few hours, and then give up/move on to other things
3) Buy the game, play it a little, but focus more on multi-player (you know, for the social experience that they get in games like Call of Duty and sports titles)
I think we might all underestimate just how big of a proportion casual gamers are (graph obtained from Gamasutra here. It's an interesting read
As we can see, ultra-casual and casual gamers (i.e: the ones who might buy a game and never play it/very little) make up a massive amount compared to those who are actually invested and who are willing to go on forums, post their playtimes, discuss the game, etc.
If we take your example for the hours played from that site, we can conclude that the people who are posting their times are at least somewhat interested in sharing their experiences, since they spent a good amount of time playing. If we take the 40-60 hour estimate you gathered from the website's data, and we say that about 50% are hardcore fans (reasonable, IMO, for comparison's sake), then here comes some math
50 hour average play time based on site and your estimate.
50/50 split for site date in terms of casual/hardcore, but the casual gamer's data have much more weight than the hardcore gamer's data, which is what I will attempt to calculate now.
In that case, that 50 hour estimate has to be counterbalanced by the fact that hardcore gamers (the ones who tend to post those kind of stats) make up about 20% of the gamer population (we know that hardcore gamers represent a small fraction of all the gamers out there, so this makes sense IMO, especially if you try to visualize it on the graph)
So, if we split it right up the middle and say that a hardcore gamer has an average 80 hour playthrough, and the average of all casual players is about 20 hours (don't forget those who don't even boot up the game bring down this average)
(80 * 0.2) + (20 * 0.8) = 32 hours
So, an average playthrough including data from the massive casual population vs. the small sample size website you chose , and we get 32 hours, so:
113 000 000 / 32 = 3.5 million copies sold in about 2 and 1/2 months
I don't see any failure there. It took Dragon Age Origins 3 months to hit 3.2 million copies sold, and it took Dragon Age Inquisition 2 and 1/2 months to reach 3.5, not to mention it had to deal with bad publicity from DA2. So for Bioware and EA, I'd say mission accomplished. I can't wait to build myself a new PC and play this game in the summer
Slight correction, but the 113 million hours is November/December only. It's actually only 1.5 months rather than 2.5.
Also, the site that Dlux linked seems to be stats for how long it takes people to finish a single playthrough(hence the name 'how long to beat' =P).
That means the stats gotten from there would only be accurate if we could assume that everybody actually finished the game(which as we should know by time the majority tend to not, especially on a game as long as Inquisition), as well as that everybody who did finish only did 1 playthrough.
Not to mention that the data also would include January's stats anyway, which EA's number does not.
Well, thanks for the correctionsSlight correction, but the 113 million hours is November/December only. It's actually only 1.5 months rather than 2.5.
Also, the site that Dlux linked seems to be stats for how long it takes people to finish a single playthrough(hence the name 'how long to beat' =P).
That means the stats gotten from there would only be accurate if we could assume that everybody actually finished the game(which as we should know by time the majority tend to not, especially on a game as long as Inquisition), as well as that everybody who did finish only did 1 playthrough.
Not to mention that the data also would include January's stats anyway, which EA's number does not.
The point I was trying to show was that even 40-60 hours of average gameplay time for every person who bought DAI is way too high once you consider that casuals make up such a large number of users.
My guess is both. Dragon Age 2 went on a very different path, aesthetically speaking.
I liked some of Hawkes robes in Dragon Age 2!!! Then in DA:I we get shitty looking robes and armor, argh. Seriously how hard is it to make some nice even sexy looking armour like Morrigans for characters!?
They were quite proud of the new art style, as I recall.
I hate to say it, but I think that was just BioWare's PR talking.
I liked some of Hawkes robes in Dragon Age 2!!! Then in DA:I we get shitty looking robes and armor, argh. Seriously how hard is it to make some nice even sexy looking armour like Morrigans for characters!?
That depends... how hard is it to get the general human population to accept it first?
I hate to say it, but I think that was just BioWare's PR talking.
Conceivably. But if they didn't choose the new style on the merits, then we have to ask why they went to a new style. Although wanting a new style and liking the new style you end up with are two different things.
Well generic was a criticism that was tossed around when DA:O came out.
Well generic was a criticism that was tossed around when DA:O came out.
This is true, but is there really anything wrong with having a generic style? I actually think it was a good thing for Origins - that helps connect the game to it's spiritual predecessor. It ended up being a good thing for the series, because the graphics evolved via DA2 to DA:I. But that's my opinion.
Agreed. Although some of us are still here, and will still be here next time around.
This. I've loved Bioware since BG1 and still love their fantasy games now, I don't play ME. As much as I loved BG:1 I strongly believe that any company needs to evolve and modernize to compete in ever changing markets.
I loved the Mark One Fiesta back in the early eighties but if the car hadn't evolved over the last 30 years I wouldn't be driving one today. The same is true for computer games.
DA:I was one of the best games I've played in a long while. Yes it's not perfect no game could be exactly what I wanted unless I wrote it myself. But for a game playing in someone else's sandbox this is right up there with my all time favorite games.
I hate to say it, but I think that was just BioWare's PR talking.
I would be happy to get at least 3 if not more expansions for DAI like awakening was for DAO. The franchise can't go on forever and I wouldn't want it to try and crash and burn like the Assassin's Creed series which has gone from building a story to milking the franchise. I can already see two expansions, one about Solas of course and the other about the Hero of Ferelden trying to find a way to combat the Calling in which you actually get to play as him, and since Hawke went to talk to the other Wardens maybe he joins the Hero of Ferelden as a companion at one point. Just a thought.
Retour en haut